


Adventures at the Coalition’s Academy for Future Elite Soldiers

by Aria_Verde



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Altea still exsits, F/M, I swear to god I will find a way to add Lotor, If enough people want a male reader version I can post one too though, Lance is kinda jealous, Military Academy AU - Freeform, Rating may go up and tags will change as story goes forward, everyone is like 12 or something at the start, fem!reader - Freeform, slowburn, so can you blame them for being little shits?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-13
Updated: 2017-08-20
Packaged: 2018-10-04 13:47:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10279880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aria_Verde/pseuds/Aria_Verde
Summary: Gift for my sister, who wanted a Keith x Reader.At the start of the war, the forces on Altea saved the planet Earth, and with the power of Voltron, were able to push Zarkon's empire back on several thousand years worth of progress.But then the Voltron lions were scattered across the universe in the heat of battle, giving Zarkon the chance to grow his empire again.The Coalition of Altean and Terrain Squadrons helped in the creation of several military schools across the free universe, promoting citizens to fight against Zarkon and spread freedom to those trapped under his reign. Everything is looking up for the coalition as brilliant soldiers are made and the lions are found one by one. Together, you and your best friend Lance are going to try and graduate at the top of the class in your academy, and maybe help mend the relationship between Lance, yourself, and that other guy, Keith. It would be easier if they would stop being so competitive though...





	1. Team Formation

Lance squirmed in his seat, grinning widely, hands clutching the sides of his chair in an effort to keep himself from bouncing out of line. While you could hear his attempts to keep himself from screaming in excitement, it was quiet enough to not bother the surrounding students while the auditorium waited for the ceremony to start. You could tell he wasn’t the only one, however, as the atmosphere was alive with enthusiastic waves spilling from the other children and teens and their attending guardians. Muffled conversations echoed from all around, and the bright colors of the renowned Academy, orange and yellow, resonated within the building, encouraging the eagerness. The thrilling air helped to build your own excitement as the crowd of thousands awaited the start of the Coalition’s Academy for Future Elite Soldiers’ acceptance ceremony, marking the entrance of the present youth into a new world of education, training, and glory.

“This is amazing. Absolutely amazing. We aren’t dreaming, right?” Lance finally squealed out, hands moving up to lightly squeeze his face between his palms.

“No Lance, ” You reply with a large smile of your own, “we aren’t dreaming.”

“I mean, I knew we would get in” His demeanor changed to his default cocky one, one hand on his chest while the other rested on his hip as a fist, “How could they _possible_ refuse me? I’m one of the best sharp shooters our school had to offer, and possibly in all this building. There was _no way_ they could’ve turned my application down.” A hand ran through his hair in an awkwardly graceful way, and he looked at you with half-lidded eyes, “Of course, you were pretty good, too. You make an awesome enhancer.”

Rolling your eyes, you say “Gee Thanks. I'd almost think the teared filled phone calls _weren’t_ you being terrified at possibly not being accepted.”

He smirks at you “I needed to make you feel good somehow. You know, in case you didn’t get in.” He bounces his leg in anticipation, "But it looks like it wasn't needed since we got in!" 

“Right. What about how you almost wet yourself on the physical examination day?”

Lance gives a soft growl, “I got scared, ok? At least I wasn’t-”

A soft beeping rings through the over-speakers, chiming an announcement as the crowd fell silent, “ _We are now ready to begin the ceremony. Before we begin, we’d like to give a large thanks to the parents and guardians of the acceptees of today’s ceremony. They wouldn’t have gotten this far without your help. And now, here’s our headmaster Vince Veraday!”_

The auditorium erupted with clapping as a man walked on stage followed by a small handful of people, all neatly adorned in dress uniform. Four of the people took a seat on a few chairs in the back, and the man walked towards the center podium. The medals on his chest shined brilliantly, sparkling over his dark skin and the podium. His brown eyes glimmered with mirth as he raised a hand and waved, hushing the audience softly, until the building was silent.

Lance bit his lip with a smile and whispered, “It’s staarrting...!”

He chuckled, “It has been many years since I have taken the position of headmaster from my good friend, Daniel. Six, if I’m not mistaken. And every year, there are two events that are, without a doubt, the most exciting to attend and the most thrilling to put together, because the attendees are the most excited and engaged out of all the events. This is one of them.

“You, my dear students, have proven yourselves to be the most powerful, the most intelligent, and the most magical. You, dear students, have proven that out of the thousands of applicants we have every year, are the most capable and have the most potential to lead your fellow students and future co-workers through the heat of battle and into victory. We as a school are proud that you choose us to be your catalyst into the future, and we will do our best to insure your success as a person and a member of society.”

The crowd cheered in excitement and Lance whistled beside you. Vince waited for the noise to die down.  

“Out of all the students who enter our academies walls, many go on to remain as citizens or home-front workers, keeping the soldiers out on the field safe from the cities by providing them the materials they need to strive for victory. Hundreds go on to lead dozens of squadrons into battle against Zarkon’s forces. They bravely dedicate their lives to fighting the oppression from the Empire, and sacrifice a great many of pleasures to have the people at home stay free another day. A few have gone on to lead entire fleets, treasuring the lives of others, and commanding their forces with only the utmost respect for their soldiers both as warriors and people. And we are one of three schools to ever produce one of the greatest soldiers ever seen: a Paladin of Voltron, a legendary defender of our universe!”

Roars of approval rang from the audience, and you had to cover your ears from the sheer volume of the cheering. A few seats away, you see a boy in white and red do the same, black hair framing his face as it contorted in pain at the loudness of the crowd. He glanced at you for a moment while looking for something to cover his ears more efficiently than his hands in the backpack beside him.

Lance, on the other hand, cheered about as loudly as he could, hands cupped over his mouth. His excited rambling drew your attention back towards him as he chanted with the other members of the audience, “Shi-ro! Shi-ro! Shi-ro!”

After a few minutes, the crowd finally died down enough for Vince to continue, “I would like to think that our large number of accomplishments, as a school and as a collection of individuals, equals success for all of our students. Each of our students, both past and present, has done so much, and our staff is among the highest rated in the galaxy. However, our success and our accomplishments are not your’s. While you have the potential for greatness, the ability to become one of the greatest, and the resources to reach for your greatness, you will not get to your best without the drive and determination to do so. All of you have done splendidly so far. All of you have reached heights unimaginable to some at your age. And if you keep this drive to be the best, you will find that the Coalition’s Academy for Future Elite Soldiers will do it’s own best to serve and guide you for the next four years of your life.”

He gestured to the four people next to him, “The council members and I all wish you, students, a warm welcome to the Coalition’s Academy for Future Elite Soldiers. We will do our best to aid you in the years to come.”

The crowd once more began to cheer as the council members introduced themselves one at a time. Their speeches mirrored Vince's in message, calling upon various accomplishments either they or the school has done in the past. A couple mentioned how they have high hopes for the new students as they had for the older students before them. As the last member finished her speech, she folded the paper in her hand, and spoke into the microphone, “This concludes the ceremonial portion of today’s event. During dinner at the reception, we will be telling you who your teams are. There will be more information at the dinner. We will see you there.”

Lance jumped up from his seat and squealed, “Oh my god, (your name), we’re FINALLY students at the CAFES!!!” He pulled you up to his level and proceeded to hug you tightly.

You couldn’t hold your excitement back any longer, “Isn’t it amazing!?” You squeal back, wriggling in his grasp, “We can go to class together! And have competitions! And, and, I don’t know, do whatever it is the academy kids do!” Hugging him back, you proceeded to giggle and squeal with him, basking in the moment.

“Right! And once the other lions are found, _we’ll_ be the new members of Voltron!” He puts you down, and you two begin to walk with the crowd towards the main cafeteria, “Think of it! Our faces will be on posters! We’ll be intergalactically recognized as some of the best warriors in the universe!” Lance buzzed as waves of energy poured from him, “I’ll get fan-mail from girls! Think of it,” grabbing your shoulder, he waved his other hand in an arbitrary direction, “Presents and letters, declaring their undying love! Adoration as I walk on stage to tell the experiences of fighting alongside the other Paladins. Getting Shiro to understand that I am an amazing sniper, worthy of his recognition!” He grinned, “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

Smiling, you nod, “And all the while, we’ll be keeping the universe safe, too! We can explore the uncharted territories, recruit new planets to aid in out cause, and be heroes to everyone!”

“That, too! Together, we will bring down Zarkon and explore the universe!” He strutted with newfound pride, smirking as he walked alongside you.

As they approached the cafeteria, two lines were formed, signs indicated one for parents and guardians while the other composed of only students. With Lance busy raving about his dreams of being a Paladin, you carefully steered both of you through the crowd and into the correct line, passing by the boy you saw before. You looked behind you as he got in place a some number of people after you, eyes down casted onto his phone as he scrolled through the posts on some website.

When you approached the entrance to the cafeteria, Lance suddenly stopped talking and got a cocky smirk on his face. A lady, Altean judging by the ears, smiled and said “Pick out a slip of paper. Make sure to keep it. These will determine your seats for the dinner.”

“Would you mind if I picked out you?” He said, as he reached a hand into the box and pulled out a number.

She lost her smile and looked at him with bored eyes, “I don’t date twelve year olds, child.” She then turned to the next person in line and smiled brightly.

Dejected, Lance hung his head and continued to walk away, making space for you to reach in and pick out a number. You chuckled at Lance’s misfortune and looked down at the slip:

_Black, Group F. Number 14._

You approach him and pat his back, “Don’t worry. You were smooth. And Alteans live a loong time.”

Lance looked at you and smiled, “Thanks (your name).” He was then back to his usual proud self as he turned his gaze to the room in front of them.

Taking your eyes away from Lance, you look at the cafeteria and your jaw drops. The grandiose room sparkles from how clean it was, the cream coloured rooms matching the brown wood floor in a pleasing way. Two rows of columns reached up to the ceiling, matching the walls in colour, but included a large number of names written in some black coloured material. Five large, oak tables are presented, each displaying a table cloth of a different color, and set with an abundance of twinkling silverware, gorgeous flowers, and fancy napkins. Menus sat on the plates, detailing the different options available for the dinner, framed in a pristine black leather and glossy covering. What you assume were the typical food lines were on the far wall, each opened up to show the staff working diligently on the food that was to be served, the smell incredibly enticing as it wafted through the air. You were tempted to use magic to sneak some a little earlier, but it was best to not bother.

“Jesus... This place screams money...” Lance mumbled as he stared at the ceiling high above.

“Yeah... It’s gorgeous...” The room was breathtaking in it’s beauty.

The two of you slowly walked a little, careful not to bump into anyone. Lance looked at the columns, asking, “What’s written on those columns over there?”

Curious, you both make your way over to the nearest column, your hand reaching out to rub the golden engraving. Tentatively, you begin to read the names aloud, “Alex Mercer...  Joseph Murine... Dina Nettle... They’re names!” You turn to Lance, “Do you think they’re graduates?”

Lance shrugged before ogling at some girls on the other side of the cafeteria. You look around your surroundings, noticing numbers on the plates on top of the menus. Glancing at your slip of paper, you frown, and say, “I think we have assigned seats.”

Snapping out of his daydream, Lance shoots you an odd look before looking at the tables around you two. He looks at his own paper before realization dawned on his face, which swiftly turns to a pout, “Aww, man! But that means I’m not with you...”

“Let me see your paper.” You hold your hand out, and he gives it to you. “ _Black, Group F. Number 15._ It looks like we’re sitting right next to each other.” While returning his slip, you show him your’s.

He’s face lights up, “Aw, sweet! Now we just got to find our seats.” He winked at a passing blonde. 

“Black group... this way. I think I have an idea where we are.” You walk in the direction of the center table which was covered in a black tablecloth, and moved closer to what you assume is the front end since the council’s seats were in that direction. While the numbers repeated on a few occasions, longer, silver poles sat in the center of the table, with an even spacing between them, holding a letter attached to the end of them. Going up the alphabet, you eventually reached the letter ‘F’, and consequently, the numbers 14 and 15.

Grinning, Lance flopped in his seat, saying, “Good work, (your name)!”

You shrug, taking your seat, “It wasn’t too hard.”

It was then that you noticed the boy from before walking towards you two. Lance noticed your staring, and asked “What? Is there some-” He turned around and groaned before slumping in his seat.

Puzzled, you look at Lance, “What’s wrong? Do you know him?”

The scowl on his face turned to one of disbelief as he looked at you intensely, “Seriously?? I ranted to you about him all last year! He’s my rival, the asshole who has the nerve to challenge me in _everything_!”

You blink, attempting to recall Lance’s previous rants, and a name comes to mind, “Wait... you mean _that’s_ Keith?”

“Duh. I thought I’ve pointed him out to you before?” You shake your head in response.

It was at this point that Keith is in hearing range, and you two drop the conversation. Keith walks past Lance and sits next to you, without saying a word as he was still busy scrolling on his phone. Lance groaned, resting his head on the table as he looks at the menu, halfheartedly trying to decide what to eat.

An awkward silence fell upon that part of the table. People started to fill in more of the seats around the three of you, and after a while, you decided to try and break the tension.

“Uhh... Hi.” You say to Keith, “I’m (your name). What’s your name?”

Keith glances up from his phone and looks you over before returning to the device, “Keith.”

“Nice to meet you. My pouting friend here is Lance.” You gesture to the Cuban mumbling angrily into his plate, glaring ferociously at Keith as he grunts in acknowledgement.

Keith doesn’t even bother to look him over, preferring to remain on his phone, “That’s nice.”

Lance’s eyebrow twitched and he raised his head suddenly, “Why are you here Keith? Did you follow me to try and show me up again?”

This caught his attention as Keith looked at Lance, “What?”

“From Helgen Middle School. Did you follow me to try and make my life miserable?”

Confused and clearly irked, Keith growled in response, “Why the hell would I follow someone I don’t even know to make them miserable?”

Lance scoffed, but you could see a glimmer of hurt in eyes at not being recognized, “It’s me! Lance! Your rival at sharpshooting and piloting! We went to Helgen together? Had a rivalry that shook the school?”

Keith stared, dumbfounded, before he blinked and some recognition reached his eyes. As it did, he seemed to become less tense, as if a fear was wiped away, “Oh wait, you’re that guy that kept challenging me to the piloting competition during Tech Class.” He smirked and laid back, “How’s it feel to lose five times in row?”

Oh no.

Furrowing his eyebrows, Lance glared at Keith, “At least the teacher didn’t punish me for disobeying the chosen sergeant.”

“It got our team victory, right? That’s what _really_ matters on the field, ” Keith smirked and laid back, “And besides, I saw you trailing behind me. You were trying to copy my moves, copycat!”

“Oh yeah?” Lance smirked, “Tell me, how’s it feel to lose a shooting competition _six_ times in a row?”

Keith glared at Lance and was about to retort when a hush fell upon the crowd, and the headmaster stood on the stage. He settled for a glare before leaning back in his seat, scowl firmly in place.

“Before we begin, I’d like to thank the cafeteria staff, for providing a wonderful spread of dinner options for the evening.” He nodded in the direction of the kitchen and a round of applause sounded throughout the room. Vince returned his attention to the seated people before him.

“Students, here at CAFES, we believe that a team should be composed of an unbreakable bond. We build this bond by spending time with our team members, getting to know them, and understand them. Trust, respect, loyalty - those are built over time. And what better chance to start than when you first walk through the cafeteria doors? The teams are groups of three, up to fifteen. Examples are 1 to 3, 4 to 6, 7 to 9, and so on. The people seating within your range are your team. They will be your team for the next four years.”

Lance and Keith froze. Sweating, you glance to both of them, but tried to remain focused on Vince.

Why did you get the seat between them?

“So for today’s meal, enjoy your time, and start getting to know your teammates. With that said, let us have a wonderful dinner, and an amazing evening!”

Another applause rang out through the audience, and they began to chat amongst themselves as it died down. Servers started to go through, gathering orders from the seated students. Keith and Lance stared blankly ahead of them, processing Mr. Vince’s words. The menu suddenly looked very interesting to you, and you begin to decide if you wanted the chicken casserole, the steak, or the vegetarian burger.

You’re startled when Lance suddenly speaks, “Keith, you need to change seats with someone. Now.”

Expecting another fight to break out, you’re surprised when Keith agrees, “For once we actually want the same thing, ” For some reason, you felt slightly cold at that suggestion, “I’ll go talk to the headmaster. You stay here with your girlfriend.”

Lance has a light blush on his face and hisses, “She’s not my girlfriend! And I’ll go talk to him since you’re so annoying! I bet the headmaster is sure to keep us together if you speak to him.”

Keith growled, “Just let me talk to him. Trust me, if I’m considered annoying, you’re a lot worse.”

As Keith stood up from his seat, Lance reached across you, and grabbed his wrist, “You ass!” The people seated around you three were starting to stare, “Just sit down! Let me talk to him!”

“Would you let! Go!” Lance started to drag across the table a bit, knocking over your glass of water, as Keith tried to get his arm back.

“You know what?” You stand up, knocking Lance to the floor and dragged Keith with him, “I’ll go.” You walk away before they can protest, fuming a little as you avoided eye-contact with the curious strangers and approached Mr. Vince. You can hear the boys resume their arguing behind you.

Vince sat at the center of the final table, set up to only accompany the council members and their guests. As you got closer, he stopped talking to the people on his left and looked at you with a friendly smile.

“Hello, dear. Is there something wrong?” One of the women looked you over before starting a conversation with the other members of the table close to her.

“Yes sir, ” You stood up a little straighter, “Is it possible to change teams after they’ve been assigned?”

Vince cocked his head, a small frown on his face, “We usually don’t allow it, no. Why do you ask?”

Gesturing to Keith and Lance, who were starting a slightly louder shouting match, you reply, “Two of my team members don’t get along very well. We were hoping to maybe switch one of them out, to help us get along better?”

He looked at the boys, eyes squinting as he seemed to mill over the situation. He shook his head after a moment, “I still won’t allow it. You’d be surprised how many people start to become friends after the first few months.” He looked at you once again, seeming to analyze the way you hold yourself, “What’s your name?”

You blink, confused, “My name is (f/name) (l/name), sir.”

Vince hummed, a sad smile appearing on his face, “I can’t switch your team’s seats. It wouldn’t be fair to the other students, even if their reasons are less valid. And again, they might learn to get along as time passes. A first meeting doesn't always decide the fate of the team. Though...” Smiling larger, he turned in his seat to reach into the bag behind him, before handing something to you, “A little motivation helps, sometimes.”

You hold your hand out and receive three keys shaped pendants. Strange, light blue markings adorned the shapes, giving off a contrasting but soft glow to the bright red metal. You felt a tug resonate from within, as if they were magic, but you couldn’t really tell. Looking back at him, you ask, “How will these help?”

His face softened, “You’ll figure it out. Everyone here is incredibly capable. I’m sure you three will come to know.” He turned to the conversations by the other council members.

Confused, you walk back, staring at the pendants in your hands. As you look up, you groan at Keith and Lance, who were now in the middle of the aisleway. Lance had one hand in Keith’s hair and the other grasping the wrist of Keith’s hand that was around Lance’s neck. A foot was placed firmly on Lance’s stomach, but Lance had retaliated with a foot to Keith’s face. Overall, they were a tangled mess, and were clearly in the way of the poor servers, who were trying to get other people their food.

You sigh before going over and breaking the two boys up. Lance whined to you, “But (name), I had him! I almost had him...”

“Right, and you weren’t the one closest to the bottom.” Keith snarked.

“Okay, you know what-”

“No! No what’s.” You interrupted as you sit them back down in their seats. Shoving a pendant in your pocket, you force one of them into Keith’s hands, and the other into Lance’s, “Headmaster said no to switching. He gave me these though, saying they’ll help.”

Lance stared blankly at the pendant in his hand, “What.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m not sure what they’re for either. They might be magic, though.”

Lance looked up at you before looking at Lance and sneering, “Looks like fire-pants likes jewlery.”

You turn to Keith and see him looking intensly at his pendant, fascinated as he ran his thumb over the key’s smooth surface. A soft pulsing came from the pendant in your pocket, but you ignore it, and ask Keith, “Do you know what it is?”

At your question, Keith blinked and shook his head suddenly aware of you again. He looked at you, “No. I don’t.” Shoving the pendant in his pocket, he follows up, “As much as I hate to say it, we really should be getting along better, I guess. If the headmaster denied our request.”

He’s lying, you could tell, but you decide to ignore it, “Yeah. So, let’s start over, ok?” You smile, and hold your hand out, “My name is (f/name) (l/name). Call me (your name). The doofus sitting beside me is Lance. We’re two freshman students at CAFES who dream of becoming Paladins of Voltron. And you are?”

Keith looked at you intensely befuddled, before cocking his head in confusion and saying “I know your name already. Why are you telling me again?”

Lance snickers dryly behind you. Shooting a glare at Lance, you look back at Keith and reply, “Because we’re starting over! So we pretend we didn’t know each other and try to get along this time. We re-introduce ourselves to help the process!”

“Oooh.” Keith slowly nods his head. The look on his face implied he didn’t fully understand though.

You sigh and say “Let’s try again.” You puff your chest out and say once more, “Hi! My name is (your name). The giggling doofus sitting beside me is my best friend Lance. We’re two new students at CAFES who dream of becoming Paladins of Voltron. And you are?” You extend your hand one more time.

Keith blinks, but accepts your hand and says, “Hello. My name is Keith Kogane. I’m also a new student at... CAFES... and I guess I’m also your new team member.”

Smiling, you reach into a different pocket and pull out a phone, “Let’s take a picture together! I can send it to you Lance, and you too, Keith, once I get your number.”

You swing your arms around the boys who leaned in begrudgingly, put on a large smile, and take a picture on your phone, all while hoping that the headmaster was right about teams becoming friends.


	2. Those First Days (Freshmen Year Part I)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was originally going to post one super long chapter, but since it's been taking forever for me to work out the kinks in what is now chapter 3, I decided to split chapter 2. I'll be working on chapter 3 more after I sleep, and it should be done within a week. 
> 
> Please read my profile for any future updates on my stories. As stated there, I am currently looking for Lotor-centric one-shot prompts (I love him so much).

A few days following the ceremony, the cafeteria was a buzz once more with students flooding the tables in messily kept lines. School faculty sat on the other side with their backs towards one of the walls, handing out the schedules students’ would need for class in a couple days. Chattering filled the air as students compared classes with their friends and talked about how they felt the year would go. The food lines were down because of the event, and they weren’t expected to come back on for another couple hours. Over the crowd of students, you heard Lance shout.

  
“We need to go to the shooting range! I need to set the new school record!”

  
“We’ve been there the last two days!” You feel your mouth twitch in exasperation as you tell Lance off, “Can’t we go check out the gymnasium instead? Or the pilot simulators? Or the magic arena?” You side step a student who was looking a bit too intensely on their phone, “I’d really like to see the magical arena...”

  
The past couple of days have been different since the ceremony. Keith acted more socially awkward towards you, and Lance got a little distant after you had taken the picture. It had been troublesome at first, but by the end, Lance was back to his usual cocky self, boasting about himself and flirting with other girls. His competitive streak went through the roof, however, as he started challenging Keith at almost everything (to which Keith seemed equally annoyed and happy at the challenges). Since then, you haven't really seen Keith around.

  
You and Lance push your way through the crowd, careful to avoid any sudden movements from the other students. While Lance didn’t seem to care about the condition of his schedule, you tried your best to keep it from bending. You move your right arm out of the way of a student's’ dress, careful to keep the metallic bracelet from catching on the fabric and tried to find any other students you knew. However, you had a difficult time picking out the individual faces in the crowd.

  
Walking out the double doors, you breath a sigh of relief at the newly acquired elbow room, and follow Lance through the hallway, “Look, I get that you want to one-up Keith, but he’s-”

  
“You see this guy?” Lance pointed at a picture of a previous CAFES’ shooting squad. Specifically, he pointed at a member with dark hair and brown skin, like his own, “That’s going to be me. Not because I want to one-up Keith, but because I’m going to earn that spot through my awesome skills!”

  
You doubt Keith had nothing to do with his behavior, but refrain from commenting. He continues to walk, and you sigh, rubbing the bracelet out of habit, “But the past couple of days, we’ve ONLY been going to the shooting range. And as much as I like shooting rifles, that’s your thing, not mine. You having fun here is important, but if that’s all we’re doing, then I’ll get stuck just following you around without any fun on my own.” You catch his wrist and turn him around, “So today, can we do something I want to do? Please?”

  
He looks at you, slightly guilty, before looking down. Finally, he looks at you with a smirk on his face, and says, “You know I can’t resist a pretty face.”

  
You smile back fondly, you give him a light punch on the shoulder and say, “Thanks,” before that smile turns malicious, “We’re going to the magic arena.”

  
Lance pales a little, but nods with a weaker smirk, “O-Ok...”

  
This time, you take the lead, and stroll to the exit on the other end of the hallway. Walking out the doors with Lance trailing behind you, you suggest, “Let’s swing by my dorm real quick, so I can pick up Mini!”

  
You didn’t see Lance’s look of dread.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The arena itself was placed farther away from the main campus and connected to the gymnasium while encompassing the track field. A couple students dotted the field, practicing on some dummies at the south end of the field or going over movement techniques for different spells. The hum of the particle barrier generators could be felt somewhere below your feet, and a soft blue glow illuminated the track along the edges. Walls created by the generators separated the magic field from the track, a metallic sheen glistening off their surface. Bright lights shone from the ceiling, with an observation deck overhanging part of the bleachers one the north side of the arena. On the east side, a thick glass wall allowed people to look into the gymnasium, where several students could be seen lifting weights, running on the trend mills, and doing other exercises. Bleachers lined the other three sides of the arena, and metal paneling covered the walls, blue veins covering the parts where the panels connected with each and other materials.

  
You smile broadly as you scan the field, giddy as you recognize some of the equipment neatly placed on the racks farther away from you. Mini, your drone, floated beside you, giving a soft beeping noise at it registered the environment. When it was done, it settled on your shoulder, nestling into the crook of your neck. The three of you moved towards the center of the field.

  
Lance looked around, “So... what exactly are you going to try first?” He paused, “Oh! Did you finish that one exercise? Before we left Helgen?”

  
You hum, and look at Mini, “Summon my extra suppressor, please.”

  
Mini made a series of noises, before the center lens glowed a cyan color, and shone a beam in front of it. A small, black box materialized in front of it, a key combination lock clasping the lid shut. You catch the box before it falls and enter the combination, revealing the thick silver bracelet inside, identical to the one on your right wrist. Purple crystals were embedded in the metal which glowed brightly when you touched it. As you slip it on, you could feel the bracelet drinking into your magic reserves just like the one on your right, feeling slightly less energetic than before.

  
You grin, “Mini, show the recording, please.”

  
Another set of beeps and an image was projected a few feet in front of you. A Balmerian with a dark green coloring appeared on the video, her muscular frame relaxed as she waited for you to take you to settle into your seat. She instructed, “So far, you’ve proven yourself capable with combat based magic at a phenomenal skill level for someone your age. However, you haven’t quite proven your level in more refined control.” She scratched her chin slightly, “Transferring magic from one person to another is difficult for this reason and due to how it can be dangerous if the energy types are different enough. At their base, everything is fueled by quintessence, but the DNA of each life form alters this energy to fit itself. Because of this, energy transfer is similar to what you humans call blood transfusion: the magical energy must be of a similar type in order to be successfully transferred. Unlike blood transfusion, however, magic transfer can be done between different species.” She looked towards Mini, and gestured to a person off camera, “Lance, come here a second please.”

  
“Y-yes Mrs. Selena.” Shuffling was heard before Lance scampered towards the teacher.

  
“Stand still.” She told him, before holding her hands out, “Observe.”

  
A dark blue glow came from her hands as she concentrated. Selena carefully moved her left hand in a circle while moving her right hand so it was palm up and below the left, forming a ball of the energy between the two hands. A thin needle of energy came sphere, snaking it’s way towards a worried Lance, touching him on his shoulder. When she was done, Lance had a similar colored aura around him, and he breathed out when Selena put her hands down.

  
Lance moved his hands in front of his face, “What the...” He giggled, wiggling his fingers in front of his face, eyes wide, "Oh my god..."

  
Selena, looked at the video you, “We don’t have much time left, but when you can, I want you to try on a dummy first. If you try to transfer to someone without a similar enough signature, the effects could be disastrous. If successful, however, you should see an aura around it’s being.” She gestured to Lance.

  
“Dude, I feel so cool! Like I can run ten miles in a second!” Lance shouted, taking off in a random direction. There’s a crash somewhere off screen followed by a yelp.

  
“I should... probably stop him.” Selena muttered as you giggle. The video stopped here.

  
Lance was a bit red when you looked at him, a smile on your face. He glared viciously, “Just do the stupid exercise.”

  
You snort and look away, “Alright.”

  
Stopping in front of one of the dummies, you begin to copy the movements in the video, careful to concentrate on being slow with the energy summoning. The bracelets on your wrists glowed a brighter purple as you concentrated, and a bright baby blue color was formed. You were finding it difficult to keep the energy from expelling, as it wildly tried to free itself. Gritting your teeth, you tried to refine the energy into a small thread, gently guiding it away from you. The ball of magic pulled every direction, trying to undo itself as you guided it.

  
“What is she doing?"

  
The sudden question made Lance yelp, bumping into you by accident. The sudden contact broke your concentration, and the ball exploded in your face, creating a decent size explosion. The dummy caught on fire from the wave of energy. Soot covered your face and from the corner of your eye, you saw Lance’s burning hair. He yelped, patting his head to put the flames out, and you groaned as you look at the now burning dummy.

  
“Oh, come on! I spent an hour getting my hair all nice, and this happens!” Lance whined, rubbing the back of his head as he felt the damage.

  
You pout and turn to the person behind you. It was a bit of a shock to see a baffled and concerned Keith standing there, “I was trying to transfer magical energy. I think it helps with healing and stuff. It was an exercise I promised my old teacher I would complete.” You rub the soot off your face the best you could.

  
“I... see.”

  
Turning to the dummy, you focus and perform a couple quick movements, creating a collection of water over the dummy to put it out, accidentally catching the distracted Lance in the splash. He shouts, causing you to grimace, and say, “Sorry!” Looking at Keith, you ask, “So, what are you doing here? Practicing magic?”

  
Keith shrugged, facial expression relaxing to a neutral expression, “I was in the gym and saw you guys through the window... I figured I would, ah, talk to you guys. Since we’re a... team and all.”

  
You nod in understanding and then ask, “Where have you been the last few days, anyways?” Lance walks up to you, trying his best to dry himself off.

  
Keith’s shoulders stiffens, “I got busy.”

  
“Doing what? Attending the mullet club?” Lance snarks, squeezing a bit of water out of his hair.

  
Keith’s eyes narrow, “At least I don’t focus on appearances to cover my terrible skills.”

  
Getting in Keith face, Lance snarled, “I’d rather at least look good with bad skills than have your attitude!”

  
You push the two away from each other before Keith could reply, putting yourself between them. Sighing, you glare at Lance, “Let’s not fight again. You two already made a scene at the banquet.”

  
Keith looks away and Lance gritted his teeth but stood down. Looking at Keith, you ask, “So what are your classes like?”

  
He shrugs and reaches into his pocket, pulling out a blue sheet of paper, “It’s a bunch of freshmen classes. Strategies and Tactics 101, Team Leadership 113, stuff like that.” He looks at the sheet, “I also have to take Fighter Piloting 250, which should be easy.”

  
You cover Lance’s mouth before he makes a comment, “That’s pretty cool! I didn’t know you got into the sophomore level piloting class.” You remove your hand from Lance’s mouth and pull out your schedule, “I’m not aiming to be a pilot, so I’m not taking any of those classes. I am in the higher level magic classes, though, and Lance is in the upper shooting classes.”

  
He puffed out his chest a bit, “Yeah, and at the rate I’m going, I’ll be top of the class in no time!” Lance smirks, “Sharpshooting is my specialty. And at the rate I'm going, I'll be on of the best pilots our class has, too!”

  
Keith nods, “I’m glad then that I’m not the only competent person on the team.” He puts a hand on your shoulder, “I’ll need the magic to cover for his mistakes.”

  
A strange tingle went through you at the contact as Lance shouts in protest. You giggle slightly, ignoring the feeling, “Don’t worry, Lance won’t make too many mistakes. He’s pretty reliable, especially as a sniper.”

  
“Thank you, (your name).” Lance looks touched as he places a hand on his chest and Keith removes his own.

  
“Right, and messing up the spell was him being reliable.”

  
Lance’s eye twitches and you say, “To be fair, he was startled by you...”

  
“And any reliable person wouldn’t have been surprised.” Keith frowned.

  
Seeing Lance’s face contort in anger, you change the subject, “When do you have Strat & Tact?”

  
Keith brings the sheet to his face and says, “Wednesdays, from 1:00 to 3:00.”

  
Nodding, you say, “That’s probably our team building class, then. We have that time, too, so it’s probably the same for the other general eds...” As you think of the classes, and what they will probably hold, an idea hits you, “They have simulations here, right? How about we try one?”

  
Keith raises an eyebrow and Lance gives you a look of disbelief, “What.”

  
“Yeah! Actually, that might work.” You grin, “You sounded a bit worried that we can’t pull our weight. If we go through a simulation now, we can prove to you that we can keep up!”

  
Lance smiles, “And more importantly,” He looks at Keith, slicking his hair back, “I get to show you how much cooler I am.”

  
Keith looks unimpressed, “Right... Well, while it would be interesting to see Lance fail, we aren’t allowed in the simulation chambers until the school year starts.”

  
“And you would know this how?” Lance criticized.

  
“Because my brother went to this school before I did, and told me how these things work,” Keith explained.

  
“Oh.” Lance sheepishly rubbed his damaged hair, cheeks puffed slightly.

  
“Ok... We can do that later than.” You fiddled with the bracelet on your right wrist, “Did you want to watch me practice then?” You gasp and there’s a dark twinkle in your eye, “Oh! Even better!” You giggle.

  
Lance furrows his eyebrows for a moment before he paled as he looks at you, “(y-your name), not even I would want that on Keith, and that’s saying a lot...”

  
You smile towards Lance, nice and wide, “A little magic duel never hurt anyone~! It’ll be fun!” You look back at Keith, swinging your arm around him, “What do you say?? It’s rare for me to get any kind of magic duel.”

  
Keith tenses and ducks away from your arm, “Yeah, no. As fun as that might sound, magic and I don’t mix.” He turns and starts to walk away, “I’m going to finish my work out, so I’m out. You two have fun doing whatever.”

  
As he walks away, leaving the arena, you pout before giggling and looking at Lance once more, “Wanna fight?”

  
Lance shivers and groans, “God damn it...”

  
Lance didn’t talk to you until classes started two days later, but it was worth seeing him cowering for the hour or so you guys dueled for.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Walking into Strategies and Tactics 101, you smile at Lance who was sitting in the center of the room just a little away from you. There were three other people already sitting at the same table and you didn’t recognize them from anywhere. One of them was an Olkari, and seemed to be busy tinkering with a small figure made a twigs. Occasionally, the figure would twitch, and what you assumed were the eyes would light up. A different bulkier creature was sitting on the Olkari’s right, sporting yellow fur, ragged, light green hair, and two pairs of arms, entertaining themself with a really impressive cat origami. The final member on the Olkari’s left was an Aleatan, with his long hair tied back into a ponytail and a dark complexion. His head was resting on the table while he lazily blew on a piece of paper that was placed on his head.

  
Lance relaxes in his chair, “Sup, (y/name)!”

  
“Hey Lance. Who are these guys?” You place your backpack on the spot next to you and sit next to him.

  
Lance yawned, “Our partner team, I guess? There’s assigned seating on the holo.” He lazily points to the hologram in the center of the classroom, “They’re pretty cool though, so I’m not complaining.”

  
“Oh.” You respond. Turning to the others, you ask, “So what’s your guys’ names?”

  
The Altean looks at you from behind the paper and muffles out, “Tired.”

  
“That is not your name.” The yellow person said, lightly scratching the origami cat’s ear. They gently set the figure down, using one arm to lightly wave, “I am Zapdoris, a Hecfra, as your kind seems woefully unaware. The Altean boy is called Claude.”

  
The Olkari just glanced up and gave a small wave before returning to it’s project.

  
“The Olkari is Nova. She is very quiet.”

  
You smile, “I’m (y/name). Our final member is-”

  
“Keith.” Lance growled under his breath.

  
Looking at the door, you sigh, “Yeah. Keith.”

  
Keith looked around for a bit before seeing you guys. With a bored scowl, he stalked over, and sat down next to you. He gave a small glare to each of the other team members, earning a small ‘eep’ from Nova, before mumbling a harsh greeting to you and Lance. Lance snorted and you sheepishly waved in response. He reached into his packet pocket and pulled out his phone, ignoring everyone else.

  
You clear your throat, “Keith, these people are Claude, Zapdoris, and Nova. They were assigned to our table.”

  
Keith grunts in response. Lance sneers, “He’s too busy texting his group of non-existence friends to answer.”

  
You lower your head as Keith sends a vicious glare Lance’s way. Claude’s wide eyes darted between Lance and Keith, mouth tight. Zapdoris looked contemplative as she examined the three of you and Nova was avoiding all eye contact. The resulting tension was awkward as the two had a staring contest, with you caught in the middle.

  
Zapdoris furrowed her eyebrows, “Your team is… tense.”

  
You sigh, “It’s not usually this bad...”

  
The bell mercifully rang, signaling the start of class. The teacher walked into the classroom and stood at the head behind the desk. He placed his materials onto the desk and looked at the students, “Good morning cadets.”

  
Keith slipped his phone back into his bag and Lance sat properly in his seat before returning along with the rest of the class, “Good morning, sir.”

  
“I am Second Lieutenant Jared Stiletto. I will be your instructor for Strategies and Tactics 101 and your Stats and Tacts 202 class next year.” There was a wave a giggles that started with some of the students, but the glare that Stiletto sent them shut that down quick. You felt yourself go stiff from how tense the lieutenant was. He briskly walked towards the center of the room, “This class is designed to weed out the weaklings among you.” He stalks among the students, eyeing each of them as he passed. You felt like a rabbit before a hungry tiger when he looked at you, “There is a bar that each squadron must pass in order to continue your education here at CAFES. Failure to meet this bar will prevent you from moving into the next year of your education, and you will keep taking this class until you pass. It is vital for each soldier to understand the basic strategies here.”

  
“The team that is sitting with you will make up your squadron. When you are in this class, you can and should count on them to aid you in all tasks assigned to you. Together, the six of you will aim to get the top score in your class. The top three squadrons will be recruited to take the Voltron Lion Connection Exam.”  
He stopped in front of the hologram, “Consider everyone else in this class as your enemy.”

  
Keith’s eyes narrow and start to scan the room discreetly. You felt the tension rise as the students started to look between each other. Lance smirked, not even bothering to look at the competition and kept his eyes on the teacher. Nova started to shake slightly, Claude looked rather disinterested, and Zapdoris grinned as she crossed two arms and started subtly flexing the other two.

  
“Today, to get to know your squadron better, we will start simple.”

  
The table flashes to life, and a screen appears in front of each of you. It greets you, and opens a screen to some kind of battle simulator. Two armies were on the field, with your profile on the right with Keith’s and Lance’s, and the other’s on the left.

  
“With your team, try to beat the other squadron. I expect you to have read the homework that was sent out over email by the next session.” He walked back to his desk and sat down, “The loser at each squadron gets an additional assignment for the night.”

  
You mentally prepared yourself for first day extra homework.

  
“Alright! Let’s do this.” Lance cracks his fingers and settles into his seat, “I’ve got the air force pilots.”

  
“Why do you get the air force pilots?” Keith snarled, “We all know you suck at piloting!”

  
“Even if I suck at piloting, I’m still better than you, Keith” Lance retorted, side-eyeing Keith as he pressed a button. A buzzing sound rings, and Lance whips his head back towards the screen, “Wha- I want the pilots, damn it!”

  
Your lips thin as you read on your screen, **Select your partners’ positions, Grand General**.

  
Keith is equally baffled until she looks at your screen. He groans, “(y/name) picks for us.”

  
Lance looks at your screen before giving you a suave look, “(Y/name)~! You’re my best friend, you know that, right? And that I love you dearly?”

  
You hear Keith mutter ‘kiss ass’ under his breath, and also snort at his comment, but refrain from reacting. You start to look over the different groups, “I know you want the Pilots, Lance, but the Navy looks like they might be your thing.”

  
He fakes being hurt, “But I love the pilots! You’re not seriously considering passing me up for mullet-head, are you?” He gives you the puppy dog eyes.  
Sighing, you look at Keith, “Would you be ok with the Navy? Or the army?”

  
Keith’s eyes darken slightly, but he relents, “Navy.”

  
You smile, “Thanks.” With a few presses, you made Keith the Admiral of the Navy and Lance the General of the Air Force, defaulting you as the General of the Army.

  
What came next was best described as a slaughter fest. It’s kind of hard to win against an efficiently working team when two members of your group keep fighting against one another.

  
Whenever Keith needed aerial support, Lance decided to train his virtual soldiers over land, causing Keith to lose his ships. Whenever Lance needed to land his planes and he was over the oceans, the aircraft carriers were mysteriously missing from their reported locations, causing Lance to lose planes due to lack of fuel. The only one who ever received any aid was the army, but considering how much of the Air Force and Navy were left by the final stages, it didn’t matter as Zapdoris, Nova, and Claude easily took over and won.

  
“God dammit!” Lance glared at Keith, “It’s all because you kept letting my planes fall into the ocean!”

  
“Oh, and you just ignoring me when I asked for support wasn’t just as bad? By the time (y/name) needed one, almost all of the carriers I had were destroyed because I didn’t have the firepower to fight Nova off.”

  
Their bickering continued, and you sigh, banging you head against the table. There’s a patting on your back, and you look up to see Zapdoris behind you, giving you a comforting smile. She said to you as she made her way back to her seat, “Do they realize it was both of their efforts that lead to your inevitable failure?”

  
You shrug, “I can’t tell at this point.”

  
Claude huffed beside her, “You need to sort this out. We won’t qualify for the Lion Test if they keep acting like this.” He waved to the instructor, who walked over to your table, “We’re done. They lost.” He gathered his things and walked out of the class, Zapdoris and Nova following after saying their goodbyes.

  
Stiletto turned to the three of you. His eyes narrowed as he watched Lance and Keith fight, and he looked at you, “I can see your team won’t last very long.” Pulling out a device from his breast pocket, he tapped away before a new image popped up on your screen, “That’s your additional homework.”

  
They were still arguing when the three of you left the class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you spot any mistakes, I'd appreciate you letting me know. Any positive feedback is appreciated!


	3. Summer’s Eve Festival (Freshman Year Part II)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a day late, but I still posted sooner than I did last time. Huzzah!
> 
> I don't know when I'll post the next chapter, unfortunately, but I'll keep my profile up to date.

A couple weeks passed. The situation never got any better, but thankfully, it hasn’t gotten any worse. Lance and Keith continued to bicker over the smallest decisions, annoying everyone within hearing range. Their competitions, while entertaining, proved distracting as little work within your group got done. It didn’t help that both boys refused to interact outside of class unless mandatory or for some ridiculous argument. You’re surprised the teachers haven’t lost their minds yet.

  
Unfortunately, this persistent rivalry has affected you in more ways than just education. Whenever they begin to fight, classmates and teachers alike turn to you to solve the problem. It would seem that the instructors are expecting you to find a way to get your teammates to settle down. That pressure keeps building with each exchange that occurs, and while you’ve been handling it nicely so far, it’s starting to get to you that you can’t seem to fix this problem.

  
For today, though, you decide to ignore all of that. You are going to forget that this problem exists, and enjoy yourself today with your buddy Lance.

  
As the final class for the day ended, you summoned your HMP and texted Lance where to meet up. Picking up your stuff, you weave through the students as you quickly stop by your dorm room to get out of your uniform and pick up Mini. As you’re heading out, a glimmer of light caught your eye, and you glance at the blue key the director had given you some weeks ago, sitting innocently on the dresser. You bit your lip before going over to it, opening one of your drawers to pull out a small, unworn necklace with a pendant attached to it. You slid the pendant off and slipped the key on before shoving it in your pocket and walking out the door, quickly locking it, and hurrying to the meetup spot with Mini in tow.

  
Lance was leaning on the statue that stood in the middle of the courtyard, chatting with a yellow-skinned senior with pointed ears and a slim figure. She was giggling at something Lance had said when you approached.

  
Noticing you, Lance flashed a grin before saying, “Well Nyma, as pleasant as this was, my friend is here which means I have to go. It’s too bad you can’t come with us or that I can invite you. However, this is a pretty important event for us, so we’ll have to part ways here.”

  
Another giggle, “Yeah, it would, but I have a senior thesis to complete, so I’m afraid I can’t. But I’ll keep you in mind for next time~!” She gave him a peck on the cheek before sauntering away, “Bye Lance!”

  
You could see her face sour a little when she isn’t looking at him, but he didn’t seem to notice since Lance looks star struck as he waves, a goofy smile on his face, “Bye~!” After a few moments like that, he fist pumps, “Hell, yay! (Y/name), did you see that! I just scored a kiss there!” He brings a hand to his chin, “I am as smooth as silk, bitch!”

  
You roll your eyes, deciding not to tell him about her soured face. You smile and pat him on the back, “Told you that you were smooth.” The two of you started to walk towards the gates to leave the campus, “So what are we going to do at the festival? Is there anything you wanted to check out besides the obvious?”

  
Lance grin got bigger, which you didn’t think was possible, and he opened his mouth to speak when a sudden look of disgust washed over him, “Ugh. Keith.”

  
You gave him a shocked look before turning to where he was looking. Seeing Keith walking your way, albeit absentmindedly since he was staring at his phone, you sigh in relief before looking at Lance, “For a second, I thought you meant Keith.”

  
He scrunched his nose as he glared at you, “Ewww, (y/name), that’s disgusting! I would never crush on that guy.”

  
“You should’ve thought of my question,” You grin before sighing and walking over to Keith. You wave, “Hey Keith!”

  
He looks at you and blinks before looking back on his phone, “...Hey.”

  
“How was your day?”

  
He finishes typing something then puts his HMP away and looked at you, “Boring. Not much to do. All the assignments are fairly easy.” Keith glared at Lance but then looked both of you over with a curious expression, “You guys going off campus or something?”

  
Lance crossed his arms, “As a matter of fact, yes, we are. We’re going to the Summer Festival to have some fun and stuff, though I doubt you would want to come to that.”

  
Keith rolled his eyes, “For once in your life, you’re right. I’d actually prefer to get a head start in what actually matters like my thesis project than go to some stupid festival that’ll only waste my time.”

  
Sweat dropping, you say, “So I’ll take it you don’t want to go?”

  
Keith looks at you, “Not really. Festivals aren’t exactly ‘fun’ for me.”

  
“Well, that’s ok. Everyone has different tastes.” You scratch the back of your head, “Though, I think the main reason Lance wants to go this year is because the Paladins will be there.”

  
Lance groans, “You just had to mention…”

  
Keith perks up and looks at you intensely, “What?”

  
You cock an eyebrow at Lance, “It’s not exactly a secret, Lance. But...” turning to Keith, “... it’s not exactly confirmed either. There was an announcement that there would be a few special guests at the main ceremony, and a rumor got started pretty quickly that the Paladins would be there. Regardless of it’s true or not, a rumor like that will definitely draw in a crowd.” Keith continued to stare at you while his eyes narrowed in thought. You tilt your head in confusion, “I’m surprised you hadn’t heard of it earlier. It’s been a popular topic for a couple days now, you should’ve heard something.”

  
A slight blush covers his face as he looks away, “I don’t exactly like to eavesdrop on people.”

  
Lance snorts and you smile slightly, “It’s ok...” Looking Keith over, realization hits you that this could be your chance to do something outside of class as a group, besides what happened at orientation and the gym. Maybe going to the festival together would help relieve the tensions between them. It could give both you and Lance a shot at the Lion test... “Did you still want to stay here?” You look at Lance, and bite your lip. Lance would not be happy about this. However, you had to take the chance. “You’re more than welcome to join us.”

  
Lance gets a betrayed look on his face while Keith seems to think it over. Eventually, he sighs, “I think I’ll go on my own in that case. There really isn’t much I would want to do, so I’m best on my own.”

  
“I understand. But this is a chance to get to know us better. Judging by how you two act in class, we need to work on team bonding, and this could help!” You quickly say, getting a slight pleading look on your face.

  
Keith seems taken aback by your fast reply. Lance scoffs, “I think we’re fine, (y/name).”

  
You look at Lance, “We really aren’t. You two fight so much, I’m surprised you guys haven’t been suspended or something already.”

  
The Cuban simply scowls, but says nothing. Keith looks thoughtful before he says, “I... guess it might help.”

  
You sigh in relief while Lance remains quiet, “Go get dressed in something other than that uniform then. We’ll wait here.”

  
Keith shrugged and started to walk south, towards the dorms. Lance watched him go then swerved around and glared at you, “What the hell (y/name)?!”

  
Here we go. You return the glare, “What do you expect me to do, ignore the guy? We’re a team, Lance, and we need to start working together!”

  
Lance hisses, “And that means we have to hang out with him? I think we’d be plenty fine if we stuck to whatever stupid exercises the teacher in Strategies have.”

  
“Considering what’s been happening, I’m pretty sure we need more work than that.” You sigh, “Look, I get that you two had some rivalry thing going on back at Helgen, and I understand that it’s personal to you. But you two are on the same team now, and if both of you don’t tone it down some, it’ll get all three of us in serious trouble.” Rubbing the back of your neck, you continue, “Besides, we’re on a squadron, remember? The others will get dragged down with us if you and Keith keep arguing like this.”

  
Lance tched and turned away, arms crossed. Several long and awkward moments passed before Keith came back, out of uniform. He looked between you two and asked, “Did I miss something?”

  
“No.” Lance snapped before storming off towards the gate.

  
You watched him for a moment before following him, “Let’s go. He’ll be fine... I think.”

  
The three of you walked off school grounds and got on the bus towards the city. Lance ignored you the whole way, preferring to look out the window, and Keith took up an empty seat behind the two of you. When you tried to talk to Lance, he would merely glare and give half-hearted responses in return, so you were left with Keith.

  
“So you’re a fan of the Paladins?” You had your body turned to look behind you while still sitting.

  
Keith shrugged, disinterested, “Something like that.”

  
You tilt your head, “I mean, you were staring at me pretty hard when they were brought up. And as much as we need team bonding, neither of you two seem interested in that.” You look at Lance, who continues to stare out the window.

  
Keith gets a slightly guilty look on his face and a sudden interest in the floor. The air is tense and awkward until he clears his throat and say, “W... What else is there to do at the Festival?”

  
Lance breathed a heavy sigh, and droned, “Whatever’s usually at a festival.”

  
“Like what?” Keith asked, somewhat annoyed.

  
Lance groaned and glared at him, “Like I said, whatever’s usually at a festival! You know, like food! Or that stupid goldfish ping pong!”

  
“You usually like goldfish ping pong...” You said, biting your lip a bit.

  
“Yeah, well, it’s stupid, I decided in the twenty minutes since we left!” Lance pouted and resumed looking out the window with visible anger.

  
“It’s only been ten minu-” Keith stated, only to be interrupted.

  
“It doesn’t matter how long it’s been Keith, between the time we’ve left and now, I’ve decided. It’s stupid.” Lance crossed his arms.

  
You grimace and pull out your HMP, sending a quick message to Lance, ‘Why are you upset about this?’

  
You put your phone away as Keith turns to you and says, “Anyways, that doesn’t exactly answer my question. I’ve never been to a festival before, so I don’t know any ‘usual festival stuff’.”

  
You open your mouth to reply when you felt a buzz in your pocket. Pulling out the phone again, you say, “What seriously? Huh. Well, a lot of festivals tend to have similar activities, and some foods are really only available during a festival. Activity wise, there’s there booths that you can play games at, like ring toss, or the goldfish game we mentioned earlier. They’re just games to have fun and fool around, though people tend to think they’re rigged since they don’t have any skills.” You roll your eyes and open the HMP, “Lance always gets the best prizes at the water gun booths.

  
“Damn straight.” He murmured under his breath. ‘besides the fact that keith is usually an asshole? the sf is our thing. he has no right 2 b here.’

  
You hadn’t expected Lance to react this badly to you convincing Keith to tag along. Judging by how he was acting and what you’ve read, however, this really hurt Lance. Of course, you still needed to try and mend their relationship. Lance wasn’t solely at fault if Keith’s avoidance outside of class was any indicator. However, Lance’s feelings outside of the rivalry weren’t really considered when you pulled Keith along, and now you wish you had thought of something else the three of you could do. The Summer’s End Festival was the festival both of you would go and always together. Lance had never wanted anyone else to go along and had therefore declared it the ‘special best friend’ event. Of course, you had always found that a bit silly, but played along since it seemed important to him.

  
Until today, at least.

  
‘I’m sorry. I forgot that you like to go to the SF with just me. It’s just that we need to build this team relationship if this is going to work, but I understand that I was wrong here.’

  
“When’s the ceremony supposed to be?” Keith asked, eyes focused on the window. They weren’t that far from the city, and should expect to arrive in about twenty minutes.

  
“Sometime around 7:00PM. They have a big parade beforehand, followed by the Igniting of the Torch, and then the senators and mayor talk about how great the summer was and how they expect everyone to put in all their effort until the end of the year.” You give him a smile, though he doesn’t see it. There’s another buzz.  
‘i dont care if we need to build a relationship. this hurt. especially since u clearly 4got.’

  
You bite your lip gently and take a glance at Lance when another text comes in, ‘just leave me alone, k? bond with mullet boy or something, since u want that so much.’

  
You feel incredibly guilty, but take a deep breath, and text back, ‘Ok.’ Putting your phone away, you look back at Keith, “So why did you chose CAFES?”

  
Keith continues to stare out the window, “Mostly to help myself. I don’t really have a particular goal in mind for what I’d want to do. It’s a good academy and all, so I’m sure I’ll figure it out.” He pauses for a moment before he coughs into his fist, “Uh... and you?”

  
“I want to be a Paladin of Voltron. I’m pretty confident that I’d have a shot at impressing one of the remaining lions once they’re found.” You beam proudly, but deflate a little with a glance at Lance, “Although, if that doesn’t work out, I want to work my way up and become an Admiral for the Starship Fleet of the Terran Alliance. Always good to have a backup plan, you know?”

  
Keith nodded slowly, “Those are some pretty big dreams,” he rubs the back of his neck, “I’m currently going more on short term goals. Like graduating.” He relaxes into his seat as he looks out the window again, “I think I can figure it out from there.”

  
You give him a small smile, “I’m sure you will.” You start to twiddle with your thumbs, an awkward lump of emotions stirring in your stomach. You glance at the floor before looking back at him, “How has your Fighter class been so far?”

  
Keith shrugged, not turning away, “Again, it’s been pretty easy. Everything the teacher has been teaching I’ve already tried or mastered.”

  
“Ok. Well, better an easy and boring class than a hard and boring one, right?” He nods in response, but doesn’t say anything else, so you turn so you’re facing forwards again. You sigh, and pass the rest of the time on your phone, wishing you had stayed at your dorm today.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After the three of you stepped off the bus, you walked the five minutes towards the festival gates and got in line. There weren’t any problems getting the tickets besides the line, and you got inside as easily as you could for a crowded event. This year’s festival was much more populated than the last one, confirming what you had said about the rumor drawing a crowd. There were several security guards wondering about, and you thought you recognized a couple faces you’ve seen at the Academy. Keith looked around nervously, eyes wide but not frantic, and Lance had put on a cheery front, treating everyone, including the two of you, in a friendly manner.

  
You lead the small group through the sea of festival goers, trying to find a spot to more properly plan what everyone wanted to do. As you head towards a relatively empty spot by a hotdog stand, you pulled out your HMP and brought up the map of the festival.

  
“Okay, so now that we have room to breath,” you turn to your companions and focus on the map, “The stadium holds the torch, so we’ll need to be there by 6:00PM. They have several blocks of the city closed off for the festival’s parade, which typically goes through the center of the festival here.” You led your finger up the center of the map towards the oval shaped building depicted at the top, “If we can meet up by the entrance sometime around 5:30, we should be good. All the good seats are typically taken up hours before then, so there’s no point rushing if we want to enjoy the festival.” You frown as you see Lance had wandered a bit away and was flirting with some girls waiting in line. You turn to Keith, “He heard all that before he went over there, right?”

  
Keith gave you a blank look, “How am I supposed to know what he hears and doesn’t?” When you didn’t respond, he sighed, “He was standing here up until you started talking about the good seats.”

  
You sigh in relief, “Ok. He knows then.” Taking one last look at where Lance was standing, you wave and are slightly happy when Lance nods at you back. You say to Keith “Let’s go. Lance will be fine on his own.” He follows you as you walk back into the crowd.

  
“Any particular games you want to try?” You shout over your shoulder.

  
“Not really. Any you recommend?”

  
“I like all the magic based ones.” You peer behind you to see Keith’s unimpressed face, “What? Magic is all I’m good for!”

  
He shakes his head, “How about something not involving magic?”

  
You chuckle lightly, “There’s ring tosses, ball throws, strength tests, shooting booths. There’s also comedy shows, shooting matches, sparring matches, flight demonstrations- ”

  
“Sparring matches and flight demonstrations?” Keith looks interested, for once.

  
“Yeah. They’re scripted events.”

  
He looks disappointed at that, but says, “At least they sound interesting…”

  
You smile, “Then let’s go to that.” Walking away, you see Lance still talking to those girls.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It took a bit of searching to find two open seats. There was a wave of relief when you did sit down, considering the amount of walking you had to do to. Keith grimaced as someone accidentally bumped into him from behind.

  
“Don’t like crowds, huh?” You teased as you surveyed the lanes a good distance away from you. Blankets covered the planes they would be using for the next Fighter Pilot demonstration. People were at their base, going under the blanket every now and then, but they were too far away to see what they were doing.

  
“Not really.” You swear you heard snarl under his breath, “‘Too many bodies. Not enough escape routes.”

  
Raising an eyebrow, you reply, “Considering the amount of security here, I doubt anything bad would happen. Though, I can understand feeling a bit claustrophobic.”

  
Keith was looking over at the planes in the distance. He was quiet for a moment before asking, “What planes do they typically use?”

  
You shrug, “It’s usually the flashier models like F-12 Astral, F-54 Jumper, and so on. Occasionally, they’ll have an experimental plane on display that’ll be released for missions in the next couple weeks.”

  
Keith hummed and silence fell between the two of you. People chattered in the seats around you. From the conversations you could hear, there did seem to be some form of confirmation that the Paladins and the queen of Altea were at the festival. There were other interesting rumors and news bits too - Zarkon had conquered a planet somewhere near the Fralin solar system, scientists on Earth discovered a new mineral but have not published the study on it yet, and it seemed there were some disturbances in the Yung system, but what those were haven’t been disclosed to the public yet. Current rumors are suggesting sabotage within the Galra Empire, but no one knows for sure.

  
Right before the show was set to start, your eyes saw a familiar flash of brown hair. Lance snuck in behind some Balmerians, and froze slightly when your eyes met. He proceeded to scowl intensely and briskly walked to an open seat several rows ahead of your’s. Before you could leave to see however, the announcer stated over the speakers the usual warnings of flash photography and unauthorized recording.

  
As the planes began to take off, the audience would cheer and encourage the various stunts they would perform. You didn’t recognize a couple of the models though. When a particularly cool looking plane took off, you leaned closer to Keith and asked, “What model is that? I don’t recognize it.”

  
Keith stared at the plane for a while before replying, “It’s an F-64 Streaker. They make awesome fighter planes and are really fast compared to other fighters.”

  
You nodded and asked about another plane. This kept going for a while, and you could see Keith relax some during the demonstration. Each time you got his attention, you would lightly touch his shoulder, and that strange tingly feeling would surge through you again. You brushed it off as the type of cloth his jacket was made of.

  
As the planes started to land, the show finished, you giggle slightly, “You know a lot about planes, don’t you?” You watch as Lance got up and left the bleachers.

  
Keith blushed slightly, but his face remained fairly stoic, “I’ve always wanted to fly them. It’s freeing. And there’s different planes for different reasons, so...”

  
You nod, “I understand. I feel similar about magic.” You grin, and start to play with your hair a little, “It let’s me do so much then what I could do on my own, you know?”

  
Keith paused and then shook his head, “I wouldn’t know. But I’ll take your word for it.”

  
You frown but don’t question him. Instead, you pull out the guide, and say, “So what do you want to do next? There’s a sparring demonstration being held not too far from here, and right after that is another flight demonstration.”

  
He thought about it for a little before he said, “Let’s go to that. I want to see what they do.”

  
Grinning, you put the guide away and get out of your seat, “Let’s go then.”

  
The majority of the festival was spent like this. You and Keith would go to various demonstrations, with him explaining the different planes and both of you talking about the different fighting styles. It was nice to get him to open up, a refreshing change from his usually withdrawn attitude.

  
Lance stayed separate from you guys the entire time, but still attended the same events. He did wander off on his own for a little bit and you assume he played one of the shooting booths, since he returned with one of large stuffed animals that are given away as prizes. It eventually went to some girl a year or so older than him.

  
It didn’t stay that way for the whole festival. Lance came up to you after a particularly awesome sparring demonstration, and quietly slid into the empty seat next to you while you talked with Keith.

  
“Using their tail as a method of balancing is a clever way to stay on their feet, though, I don’t think it’s very creative.” Keith said, a hand on his chin.

  
“Probably not, but it could still be useful in battle. Tails are no joke.” You glance over at Lance, “Lance here got into a fight with a person with a tail once.”

  
Keith tensed when you drew attention to Lance, but he simply snorted, a small smile on his face. The Cuban added, “In my defense, he-she-whoever they were, started it first.”

  
“He did hold his ground pretty well, all things considered.” You beam at Keith, who relaxed slightly when Lance didn’t pick a fight.

  
“I... see. I haven’t actually fought anyone with a tail before, so I wouldn’t know what it’s like.” He looked down at the floor of the bleachers.

  
You sigh at Keith’s sudden awkwardness, but say nothing. Instead, you turn to Lance and ask, “Are there any cool events you wanted to check out before we head to the festival?”

  
Usually, Lance would respond energetically, talking about some booth game he wanted to play or shooting competition that he wanted to watch. However, while Lance was now back on speaking terms with you, he didn’t seem to fully forgive you as he simply shrugged and looked at the makeshift area down below, eyes cold. You repress another sigh.

  
You look down at your phone. It was 4:58. It would be best to head towards the stadium now, since there wouldn’t be anything else that would interest Keith, and Lance wasn’t going to be taking you two anywhere. This would also be a good time to try and apologize to Lance, if possible. You doubt he would forgive you today, but it could help to show you do regret pushing him to the side like that. All you need to figure out is how...

  
Nudging Keith, you look at Lance and say, “If we don’t have anything else to look at, we should head out. It’s almost five.”

  
The three of you walk out into the crowded walkways of the festival and slowly make your way towards the stadium. Music plays somewhere away from you as the parade starts its walk around the grounds. A crowd of people were lined along the sidewalk leading into the stadium, waiting for the parade to go through. Sure enough, when you got to the stadium, a majority of the seats closest to the stage were taken, forcing the three of you towards the back.

  
At some point, you got quite thirsty, and left to go grab a bottle of water from the concession stand. You groan at the expensive price, but prepare yourself by pulling the money out of your wallet ahead of time. Afterwards, you start to walk towards the end of the line.

  
You bumped into someone on your way back. Looking up, you were going to apologize, but froze when you saw who it was, “H-Headmaster Veraday?!”

  
The tall man looks down at you, amused, “Hello again cadet. It’s nice to see you. I trust you’re keeping your gift secure?”

  
“Yes sir! See?” You pulled the key out of your pocket and showed him, beaming as you did so.

  
He chuckled, “Good, good. I take it you’re here to watch the ceremony?”

  
“Yes, sir. My teammates and I just got done with the festival, and we wanted to get here before all the seats were taken. I’m just getting some water.” You shift on your feet, “What are you doing here?”

  
“Same as you. I’m here to watch the ceremony.” Vince looked at you closely and frowned slightly, “Is something bothering you?”

  
You’re surprised at his deduction, and look at your feet. If you told him about what happened with Lance, he might be able to offer some good advice or a way to apologize to him. There hadn’t been anyway for you to properly make amends on your way to the stadium, and you weren’t really sure how to bring it up in person while at the festival. And it’s not like he would be mean over this, right? Right...

  
So you told him about what happened, you bringing Keith along in a moment of insensitivity, how Lance got hurt, and your current situation. He listened to you carefully, nodding at certain times, saying nothing as you spoke unless it was to clarify something.

  
“I... I don’t know what to do. I want to apologize, and while I don’t think he’ll forgive me today, it does help, you know? But I’m not sure how.” You finish, looking up at the headmaster.

  
He’s silent for several moments. Then, he nods, “If you promise not to spread the word, I would be willing to help you set something up to apologize to Lance.”  
You blink and beam at him, “Yes! I promise!”

  
Vince’s eyes twinkled with mirth at your enthusiasm, “Alright. Go get your teammates and meet me here.”

  
You rush out of line and towards the section of the stadium that Lance and Keith were currently seated. When you got there, you were a bit excited to see that they weren’t fighting physically, but it looked like they were fighting verbally, “Guys, guys, guess what!”

  
They turned towards you and Keith asks, “What?”

  
“I have a surprise for you! Come with me!” With that, you bolt back up the stairs, not waiting for them to follow.

  
You bumped into someone in the hall and looked back to shout an apology. This also gave you a chance to see the boys scrambling to catch up to you, narrowing avoiding the man dressed in a purple shirt that you had accidentally knocked into.

  
You stopped right in front of Vince, panting lightly, and you turned as Keith and lance came up behind you. Grinning brightly, you turned back to Vince and beamed, “Here they are!”

  
Vince looked between the three of you and said, “(Y/name) here told me you three are going to watch the ceremony. Would you like to watch it from the VIP section instead?”

  
Lance and you both cheer a ‘yes’, excited at the idea of watching the ceremony from the closest point to the stage. Keith stared at you two strangely, but confusedly agreed to go to the VIP section. Vince chuckled at your reactions and gestured to follow him as he turned and left.

  
Walking through the crowd towards the VIP section was amazing. You felt important, and you could tell Lance was ecstatic at what was happening. Keith looked confused, but didn’t ask anything as he followed along.

  
The three of you walked by the guard at the gate to the VIP section as Vince waved you in. He then led you to one of the private sections, allowing you guys to pick your seats before taking a seat himself. A waiter was waved down to bring the four of you waters and some snacks.

  
Lance squealed beside you, “Ohmygodthisisamazingwe’rerighthereinfrontofthestagewerethey’lllightthefireandthepaladinswillbehereandwe’llgettoseethelions up close andohmygod(y/name)howdidyoumanagetogetVincetodothisthisisamazingahhhhh!”

  
You puff your chest out slightly and say, “I just...” When you see Vince’s nod of approval, you finished, “Pulled a couple strings. As an apology.”

  
Lance paused in his freak out and stared at you. After a moment, he gave a smirk, “Yeah, well we’re friends, so I’ll forgive you in a day or two. Kinda have to.”

  
You beam back and then proceed to start fangirling over the various features in the booth. Keith watched you two for a bit before asking what was so special about the VIP section, and was then swept away as you two explained only the most amazing people get a booth in the VIP section. The headmaster started talking to some of the occupants in the booth next to your’s as you explored.

  
A voice announced over the intercom, “ _The Summer’s End Ceremony will begin shortly. Please silence all electronic devices and remain seated for the duration of the event. If your children become fussy during the event, please escort them out of the stadium and return when they have calmed. Be-_ ”

  
“(Y/name) it’s starting!” Lance squealed as you, him, and Keith returned to your seats.

  
The mayor walked onto stage soon after, along with the current Admiral of the Starship Fleet of the Terran Alliance and the Queen of Altea, Allura. She carried a certain grace around her as she walked, her long white and blue dress complimenting her nicely. You had never seen her in person before, but you had to admit that she was absolutely stunning in real life.

  
“Damn, I had no idea the Queen was that beautiful!” Lance whispered to you.

  
You nod, “And she’s one of the best fighters on top of that and one of the lead strategist for Voltron. I’d love to be like her.”

  
Keith’s face grew serious, “And if she’s in the area, then that means...”

  
None of you said anything after that, but you felt excited. Voltron was here after all, and you would get to see them today. This was probably the best day ever.  
The mayor walked up to the microphone and proceeded to give a similar speech to the ones he gave in previous years. He mentioned the drive this city had, how amazing the efforts were, and how he hoped to see the same kind of efforts next year. There was a part about the current war efforts, and how the Coalition had managed to keep Zarkon at bay for another year. Like previous years, the speech wasn’t boring, but not particularly memorable either.

  
Then, instead of asking for the lighting of the torch, he said, “And now, I present to you a very special guest this evening: Queen Allura, Ruler of Altea and Leader of the Coalition!”

  
There was a loud roar of cheer from the audience as she walked up to the podium. She smiled and waved, waiting for the noise to die down before she spoke, “It is an honor to be here, Mayor Richard. The last time I was here, this city was just beginning to blossom into the diverse metropolitan center it is today. It has grown so much thanks to the protection it has received and the efforts of its people, and I hope to see it grow more beautifully in the future.”

  
People cheered once more, but were silent quicker this time, “With how big the Coalition has grown since my father’s passing, the other leaders and I believe it is time for a change in the coalition. We don’t wish to divide or exclude others from this bond we share as planets, for by being united, we are stronger. By standing strong, we are unconquerable. To show others that we are stronger united like the great weapon we all love, the coalition shall go under a new rebranding, changing it’s name from the Coalition of Altean and Terrain Squadrons to a different, simpler name - The Voltron Alliance!”

  
Louder cheers reverberated throughout the stadium. People stomped their feet on the floor, causing vibrations to flow through the building. Everyone was excited as Allura continued to speak, “And of course, to celebrate this news, I have brought with me today the heros of the war effort. The ones who fly through the sky and space, keeping both the people of the Alliance and the soldiers out there who fight with them safe - The Paladins of Voltron!”

  
As she finished, mechanical roars boomed through the air, shaking the foundation of the building far more than anything the people had done. Three large shapes took to the air, blue streaks of light following them as they flew into the open sky. Spots shined onto the shapes, revealing the black, green, and yellow Lions of Voltron as the preformed a loop back around towards the stadium. The black lion took the lead, and with another roar formed a blade in it’s jaws and it traveled towards the ground. Just before they brushed the top of the stadium walls, the yellow and green lions split off in different directions, pulling upwards a bit. The black lion hit something with it’s jaw blade, and a large column of fire erupted from the torch at the top of the stadium’s northern wall.

  
You watch and cheered with the deafening crowd, awed by the size these mechanical creatures were. Energy practically oozed from them as they flew and did various stunts, the people loving every second of the lion’s moves.

  
As the got particularly close to the crowd, you heard a whisper from somewhere, but you couldn’t really make it out, “ ** _I...r...m ri...h...ase...me..._** ”

  
Confused, you look behind you but see no one who would’ve said anything to you. Just as you were about to turn, you see someone starting to push their way through the crowd, going down the stairs closer towards where the stadium was. Your eyes widen a bit when you recognize the purple shirt from the person you had ran into earlier, but you shrug it off and return your attention to the lions above.

  
After several more seconds of aerial stunts and demonstration of their moves, the lions slowly descended onto the ground. They landed on the cleared stadium field, sitting tall and proud. Slowly, they lowered their hands and opened their mouths, allowing their Paladins - Hunk, Pidge, and Shiro - to walk onto the field.  
Lance practically screamed when Shiro stepped out of the lion, declaring at the top of his lungs how he was Shiro’s biggest fan. Keith stayed quiet, eyes focused on the black paladin the entire time. Meanwhile, you had covered your ears and were instead looking at the lions. You marveled at the machinery, feeling an urge to go and look at them more closely. You felt a pull, as if going to them is important but why you couldn’t tell. Another whisper drifted through your mind, “ ** _P...l...e...um...d...o...o...t...th...n...l..._** ”.

  
When you heard this whisper, you looked up into the eyes of the black lion, which seemed to no longer be looking at it’s paladin, but you. A shiver went down your spine, and you felt conflicted as you both wanted to both cower away from the large beast and stand proud before it, challenging it to some battle that you would lose. You uncovered your ears, and stared the lion down as it watched you, not wanting to show weakness to the ancient creature. Impulse drove you to start standing, but just then, arms wrapped around you and you were tackled to the ground.

  
As you fell, you saw the man in the purple shirt explode and then heard nothing but a sharp ring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you find any grammatical or spelling errors, please let me know! Thank you.


End file.
